1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to furniture construction and, more particularly, to modular furniture assemblies. Specifically, the present invention relates to an improved modular furniture assembly providing greater support and stability and adapted to incorporate a wide variety of top components.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The art of furniture design and construction has evolved rather rapidly over the last half century. With the advent of metal nails, modern glues and assembly line techniques, furniture construction has changed dramatically. Tables, book shelves, chairs and the like constructed from machine-made components have resulted in sturdy, permanently constructed furniture, albeit rather utilitarian in design at times.
A recent furniture trend in our mobile, modern society has been to the modular furniture requiring no permanently affixed portions using glue, nails or the like. Such modular furniture seems to suit the mobility factor of certain segments of our society due to the fact that such furniture can be easily disassembled for storage and/or compact moving and then readily reassembled in a new residence. Such modular furniture, while easily assembled and disassembled, has certain drawbacks. First, the furniture is not permanent since it is specifically designed to be readily disassembled. This non-permanence factor generally results in the furniture, particularly tables, and the like, being rather unsteady and relatively weak in support when compared to their non-modular, permanently constructed counterparts. This becomes particularly true once the furniture has been disassembled and reassembled a number of times. Second, the modular furniture construction provided heretofore has generally been rather plain in design and appearance and incapable of providing a variety of choices such as in table top designs, material selections and the like.